Thursday, April 30, 2015

It’s
the last day of the Ultimate Blog Challenge and it’s time for us to celebrate! The month passed so quickly and I am reminded
that we can do anything we say we can do with commitment and accountability.

I’d
like to thank everyone who left a comment on my blog. I’ve enjoyed reading the
blogs of my fellow UBCers and have become a fan of a few. I hope to continue to
be enlightened, educated and entertained by those whom I will continue to
follow. Please do the same. Re-visit my
blog from time to time, Like/Friend me
on facebook, Follow me on twitter & Instagram and by all means check out
the Ask A Stage Goddess series on YouTube if you know anyone pursuing a career
in show business.

I
love the diversity of this group and no matter what your area of expertise,
remember:

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Congratulations for getting
one step closer to booking that job! We’ve talked a lot about clothes and the
video below addresses why you should go in looking exactly the way you did for
the first audition so let’s talk about the process.

If you ever get a script
before an audition, read it! It gives you so much more to work with and a
clearer picture of how your character helps to tell this story. Read your sides
over including stage directions for more clues on how to enhance your character.
Like I’ve said before now is not the time to come up with something completely brand
new from your first audition but sometimes little subtleties can make a big
difference. Make strong choices and also be able to make adjustments. The team
wants to know that you can hold your own and take direction.

In the waiting room stay
focused and avoid small talk with your fellow actors until after the audition.
You’ll be to notice the same faces from audition to audition. You become
friends with your peers over the years, however now is not the time for a
reunion party. It is rude to those in the room and a distraction from what you
are there to accomplish.

There are often a lot more
people in the room at the callback. Producers, writers and of course the director.
It is very serious business. This is not the time to chit chat, showoff or be
cute (as my mom would say). The casting director will probably read with you
and you may notice that they are more serious at this level. You’re trying to
get a job and they’re trying to keep theirs. Remember they want you to succeed
and even if you don’t book, they look good if you “do good”.

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Here is one of the headshots
from my most recent photo shoot a few weeks ago. I, like many actors, do not
even really enjoy this part of our job. Unlike models I hear who absolutely
love it! Maybe because they are getting paid. Actors hope to land a job as a
result of having good headshots.It is
probably the most important tool of the trade. At the very least it will get us
in the door.

I went through my closet and
pulled out a lot of different “looks”. You really only need to be concerned
with tops: shirts, blouses, jackets, sweaters, etc. since we only see the upper
part of your body for headshots. (I must note that the pink I am wearing in
this photo and the video is a dress). I was going for colors that look good on
me, bright and colorful for commercials and darker colors for the more dramatic
look for TV and film. The photographer helped me choose my wardrobe, he knew
exactly what backdrop to use for each look. He is also phenomenal at lighting
for Black actors which is important and not to be taken for granted.

Let’s talk about hair and make
up for a minute. For the men, if you are an actor, you should already be
familiar and comfortable wearing make up for the camera, so you might want to
put on a little powder to help keep down the shine. Ladies, I heard an amazing
tip recently. DO NOT hire a hair stylist and make up artist for your photo
shoot!! Why? Because you are the one who will be doing your own hair and make
up for every audition. The last thing you want to do is submit a photo that
doesn’t look like you when you walk into the audition room. You can definitely
style your hair differently in your photos and change up the make up for a
specific look if necessary. The more natural the better.

Get a good night’s rest, be
one time and be prepared…Camera Ready! I like to listen to music during the shoot,
it relaxes me and gets me into character. So load up that playlist on your
iPhone and have fun!!

Monday, April 27, 2015

If
you’ve been following me for a while, you may have noticed that I believe in the
power of the vision board. I’ve been using this tool for many years since I
first heard about them in a book called Creative Visualization. Back then they
were called Treasure Maps. You can
create a vision board at any time but I particularly find them valuable for
setting goals for a new year. Here’s my advice to someone who wrote to me in
Jan. 2010. I’ve made a few slight adjustments in my answer to bring it up to
date.

Dear Stage Goddess,

OK, so I've made my list of things I want to
accomplish this year and created my vision board, but it seems so
overwhelming. How am I gonna do all this?

~
HELP!

Dear
Help,

Congratulations
on creating your road map for the new year. When you look at your vision
board you are looking at your destinations. Now it's time to plan your
trip and that can only happen one mile, one step at a time.

Pick
one "destination" and break it up into smaller parts. Work at
it little by little until it's done. Then move on to the next. I
wouldn't try to tackle all of your goals at the same time. Also, life happens
and you must take time to relax and enjoy the ride. So what if you don't
accomplish all of your goals this year? You may decide to move a goal
forward to next year or remove it altogether. You are the designer of your
life.

For
example, I can't tell you how long I had been working on my website. First I had
to do research to see what kind of site I wanted, then I had to get all of the
components to my web designer, Barb Gottlieb of Gottgraphix. That
took awhile but once it became a priority and we gave ourselves a deadline, we
made it happen.

Sunday, April 26, 2015

Today's Ask A Stage Goddess video was inspired by a question
that I answered in my Carlease's Bits n Pieces monthly ezine. I've re-posted it here exactly as it was
published in July 2010.

Dear Stage Goddess,
I once had a promising theatrical career but got sidetracked with work and
taking care of my family. Now I feel I'm too old to get back in the game.
As a mature woman making it in this business, what are your thoughts?

~ Is
it too late baby?

Dear
Too Late,

To
quote the title of one of my favorite childhood movies, It's Never Too Late.
The motto of Ask Stage Goddess is: Be A Star Where You Are. I know for a
fact you are still keeping those creative juices flowing because I see (and
hear) you singing in the choir at church, but as far as your professional
acting career, it's there waiting for you whenever you decide to make that
move. There are roles out there for everyone in all mediums of this
business. If you have time, maybe do a play to start working those acting
muscles again. Since you've been away for a while make sure you are current
on how things are done now as far as electronic submissions, promoting yourself
on the web, social networking, color photos, etc.

Within
the past two months, I have been placed in a caregiver situation for my mother
due to her involvement in a car accident. One of my biggest concerns is how to
care for her 3,000 miles away from my career in California. I may have to
take a little break from the industry and that makes me feel quite
uneasy. My career is going quite well right now. I just got
accepted into Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (the Emmy people), got
a new voice over agent, and am building my star list of clients for Ask Stage
Goddess. It feels like this is the worst time for something like this to
happen, but I know my Mom's care has to come first. As my agents and managers
have told me, we'll be right here when you get back.